OPINION: Let’s give Erin Molan a chance

Twitter is not the nicest medium at the best of times. And when Twitter comments get turned into “news” stories, the headlines tend to be especially heinous.

Molan with The Footy Show cast.

Getty Images

Rarely do you see breathy online headlines along the lines of “Everyone agrees! Great work!” So reports of audiences aggressively hating on TV presenter Erin Molan in her gig as the new host of The Footy Show are disappointing but wholly unsurprising.

But before we run away with the “What a disaster!” narrative, let’s all just take a beat. In taking the seat of 23-year veteran Paul “Fatty” Vautin, Molan was always going to be the underdog. Throw in a challenging new timeslot and reduced budget and the mum-to-be is basically up against it from the starter’s whistle.

For sure, there’s a whiff of misogyny in the air, too. Seeming to blame Molan for on-air technical difficulties during the March 22 broadcast is just unfair. So while audiences adjust to seeing a woman calling the shots— and not a bloke dressed up like one—perhaps we should give her some more time in the game.

Jennie NoonanJennie Noonan, Executive Editor of WHO Magazine, watches reality TV like it’s her job — which fortunately, it is— in between raising kids, monitoring the weather and searching for a positive spin on most things.